Alstom builds technology center in Tianjin

Alstom SA, the world's third-largest power-equipment maker, is working on the second phase of a hydropower technology center in Tianjin to boost business, said Yves Rannou, Alstom Hydro China Co general manager.

The construction is expected to be completed by mid-2013, Rannou said on Wednesday at a Tianjin briefing. The new center, in the northern city of Tianjin, is Alstom's sixth after centers in France, Switzerland, Brazil, India and Canada.

"We see huge potential to be exploited" in China's hydropower market, particularly in the south, Jerome Pecresse, renewable power president for Alstom, said in an interview. He expects the market to continue to grow.